diff --git a/changelog.md b/changelog.md
index 5a7777d0..803b6fd1 100644
--- a/changelog.md
+++ b/changelog.md
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ Features
 Bugfixes
 ---------
 * Don't allow saving favorite queries to rewrite comments in `~/.myclirc`.
+* Don't allow saving favorite queries to rewrite quoting in `~/.myclirc`.
 * Don't allow saving named DSNs to rewrite comments in `~/.myclirc`.
 
 
diff --git a/mycli/config.py b/mycli/config.py
index b42f2b92..c90b78bf 100644
--- a/mycli/config.py
+++ b/mycli/config.py
@@ -14,6 +14,19 @@
 logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 
+class LimiitedQuotePreservingConfigObj(ConfigObj):
+    """Useful for saving individual items without modifying the whole file."""
+
+    def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
+        ConfigObj.__init__(self, *args, **kwargs)
+
+    def _unquote(self, value):
+        return value
+
+    def _quote(self, value, multiline=True):
+        return value
+
+
 def log(logger: logging.Logger, level: int, message: str) -> None:
     """Logs message to stderr if logging isn't initialized."""
 
@@ -23,7 +36,11 @@ def log(logger: logging.Logger, level: int, message: str) -> None:
     logger.log(level, message)
 
 
-def read_config_file(f: str | IO[str], list_values: bool = True) -> ConfigObj | None:
+def read_config_file(
+    f: str | IO[str],
+    list_values: bool = True,
+    preserve_quotes: bool = False,
+) -> ConfigObj | LimiitedQuotePreservingConfigObj | None:
     """Read a config file.
 
     *list_values* set to `True` is the default behavior of ConfigObj.
@@ -38,7 +55,10 @@ def read_config_file(f: str | IO[str], list_values: bool = True) -> ConfigObj |
         f = os.path.expanduser(f)
 
     try:
-        config = ConfigObj(f, interpolation=False, encoding="utf8", list_values=list_values)
+        if preserve_quotes:
+            config = LimiitedQuotePreservingConfigObj(f, interpolation=False, encoding="utf8", list_values=False)
+        else:
+            config = ConfigObj(f, interpolation=False, encoding="utf8", list_values=list_values)
     except ConfigObjError as e:
         log(logger, logging.WARNING, "Unable to parse line {0} of config file '{1}'.".format(e.line_number, f))
         log(logger, logging.WARNING, "Using successfully parsed config values.")
diff --git a/mycli/packages/special/favoritequeries.py b/mycli/packages/special/favoritequeries.py
index 0d7722c5..8b578bfa 100644
--- a/mycli/packages/special/favoritequeries.py
+++ b/mycli/packages/special/favoritequeries.py
@@ -126,7 +126,7 @@ def _config_for_write(self) -> Any:
         if self.config_file is None:
             return self.config
 
-        config = read_config_file(self.config_file)
+        config = read_config_file(self.config_file, preserve_quotes=True)
         if config is None:
             raise OSError(f"Unable to read config file '{os.path.expanduser(self.config_file)}'.")
         return config
@@ -144,10 +144,15 @@ def get(self, name) -> str | None:
 
     def save(self, name: str, query: str) -> None:
         config = self._config_for_write()
+        query = query.rstrip(' \t\n\r;')
+        if '\n' in query:
+            manually_quoted_query = f"'''{query}'''"
+        else:
+            manually_quoted_query = query
         config.encoding = "utf-8"
         section_existed = self.section_name in config
         previous_query = config.get(self.section_name, {}).get(name, MISSING)
-        self._set_query(config, name, query)
+        self._set_query(config, name, manually_quoted_query)
         try:
             config.write()
         except Exception:
@@ -160,6 +165,7 @@ def save(self, name: str, query: str) -> None:
             raise
 
         if config is not self.config:
+            # use the unquoted query for the current session
             self._set_query(self.config, name, query)
 
     def delete(self, name: str) -> str:
diff --git a/test/pytests/test_favoritequeries.py b/test/pytests/test_favoritequeries.py
index d7fb5eea..29a193ce 100644
--- a/test/pytests/test_favoritequeries.py
+++ b/test/pytests/test_favoritequeries.py
@@ -77,6 +77,28 @@ def test_save_updates_existing_section_and_writes_config() -> None:
     assert config.write_calls == 1
 
 
+def test_save_quotes_multiline_query_for_disk_and_keeps_runtime_query_unquoted(
+    monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch,
+) -> None:
+    write_config = DummyConfig()
+    runtime_config = DummyConfig()
+    favorites = FavoriteQueries(runtime_config, '/tmp/myclirc')
+    read_calls: list[tuple[str, bool]] = []
+
+    def read_config_file(path: str, preserve_quotes: bool = False) -> DummyConfig:
+        read_calls.append((path, preserve_quotes))
+        return write_config
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(favoritequeries_module, 'read_config_file', read_config_file)
+
+    favorites.save('report', 'select 1;\nselect 2;\n')
+
+    assert read_calls == [('/tmp/myclirc', True)]
+    assert write_config['favorite_queries']['report'] == "'''select 1;\nselect 2'''"
+    assert write_config.write_calls == 1
+    assert runtime_config['favorite_queries']['report'] == 'select 1;\nselect 2'
+
+
 def test_delete_removes_existing_favorite_and_writes_config() -> None:
     config = DummyConfig({'favorite_queries': {'demo': 'select 1'}})
     favorites = FavoriteQueries(config)
@@ -222,7 +244,7 @@ def test_save_does_not_update_runtime_config_when_user_config_cannot_be_read(
 ) -> None:
     merged_config = DummyConfig({'favorite_queries': {'existing': 'select 1'}})
     favorites = FavoriteQueries(merged_config, '~/.myclirc')
-    monkeypatch.setattr(favoritequeries_module, 'read_config_file', lambda _path: None)
+    monkeypatch.setattr(favoritequeries_module, 'read_config_file', lambda _path, **_kwargs: None)
 
     with pytest.raises(OSError, match=r"Unable to read config file '.*/\.myclirc'\."):
         favorites.save('new', 'select 2')